Coastlines Stories

Birds of prey are increasingly being used as hazing tools at airports, farms and other areas where wildlife can encounter danger or threaten crops. It's these fear-inducing qualities that also make raptors useful at oil spill sites. This video shows how falconry tactics can be applied in spill zones.

Each year from 2007 to 2012, somewhere between 300-400 bottlenose dolphins were found stranded along Atlantic shores from New York to South Carolina. In 2013, that number tripled to more than 1,300. But why?

Massive amounts of sea stars from Alaska to southern California are losing limbs and dying from a mysterious disease that researchers know very little about. Research into what scientists have dubbed "sea star wasting syndrome" is ongoing, but definitive answers remain elusive. What's going on?

Southern right whales are suffering from an unprecedented mortality event in Península Valdés, Argentina. Over the course of 2012, 116 dead southern right whales were discovered in the local breeding area. This is the highest number of dead whales ever recorded in one season for this species. Scientists are focusing on kelp gull attacks that may influence whale deaths, along with other potential causes like nutritional deficiencies, infectious diseases, and biotoxins.

White abalone was the first marine invertebrate to land on the endangered species list, thanks to years of reckless overfishing and breeding habits that require dense populations. Researchers believe the White abalone population is declining by about 14 percent each year. In the absence of a solution, the species would likely be doomed to extinction. Scientists at the Bodega Marine Lab are hoping to avoid that.